Internal combustion engines convert the thermal heat of combustion of a volatile fluid into useful work. In particular, conventional internal combustion engines compress a fuel-air mixture in a combustion chamber, and then either ignite the fuel-air mixture, or compress it sufficiently for self-ignition. The combustion energy release causes the gases to expand, generating a high pressure that is used to extract useful work. In typical piston-type internal combustion engines, the expanding combustion gases push a piston that is slidably disposed within a cylindrical chamber. The piston is typically attached through connecting rods to a crankshaft, whereby the reciprocating piston motion is converted to rotational motion.
The inventor of the invention disclosed herein has developed a new class of internal combustion engine wherein one or more cylinders reciprocate relative to oppositely-disposed pistons. Particular aspects and embodiments of this new class of IC engine are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,032,622; 6,598,567; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/627,288 (U.S. Pat. Publ. No. 2004/0159291 A1); and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/969,362 (U.S. Pat. Publ. No. 2005/0051117 A1); all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
This new class of engine promises to provide improvements in thermodynamic efficiency, consequent reductions in gas emissions, and fewer moving parts. There is no question that improvements to internal combustion engines continue to be important and useful. Additional aspects, advances and improvements to the class of internal combustion engines described above are disclosed herein.